Last year Israel's business news Globes (16th Nov 2014) reported that in the wake of the genocidal assault on Gaza, economic results show Israel's economy had for the first time since 2009 contracted. The decline in GDP reflects decrease in investments and exports of goods and services right across the board. Tourism for example was down 77.5%. The only anomaly was the export of diamonds, they actually rose by 53.3% thus helping bail out the Israeli economy at this critical time when no one wanted to touch this genocidal regime. It would appear that most people don't readily associate diamonds with Israel and its war crimes. The reality is that Israel's diamond industry is a main source of funding for the Israeli military ( $1 billion every year according to testimony given at the Russell Tribunal in Nov 2010).

Valentines Day is a traditional favourite for engagements with 1 in 10 proposals happening on Valentine's Day. According to the Israeli Diamond Industry, consumer surveys show 29.1% of men plan to buy Jewellery for Valentines Day. Join us on Saturday 7th February 2015 - the saturday before Valentines Day - as we proceed down Old Bond Street on a rolling protest stopping at the businesses of the main peddlers of Israeli blood diamonds to reveal to the public the complicity of these companies in war crimes in Gaza. We will meet promptly at 12:30 outside De Beers at the corner of Old Bond Street and Piccadilly.

Our last diamond protest on Old Bond Street at Christmas (20th Dec 2014)

Some of the peddlers of Israeli blood diamonds we will protest are:

LEVIEV

According to the NY Times Lev Leviev "is probably Israel’s richest man" and his Israeli company Leviev is "the world’s largest cutter and polisher of diamonds". Leviev is also heavily embroiled in the construction of illegal Jews-only settlements on the West Bank.

CARTIER

Cartier sources its high end jewellery from Israel's leading diamond exporter, and once receiver of Israel's Exporter of the Year Award, Leo Schachter Diamonds. Last year Leo Schachter alone accounted for nearly 6% of all Israeli diamond exports which when extrapolated suggests a contribution of nearly $60 million to the Israeli army through taxation alone.

Our last diamond protest on Old Bond Street at Christmas (20th Dec 2014)

One of Israel's leading diamonds companies - Steinmetz Diamonds Group (now Diacore) through its foundation adopted and funds the notorious Givati Brigade of the Israeli army which stands accused of war crimes in Gaza by the UN Human Rights Council. In particular the Givati Brigade is responsible for the Samouni family massacre in Gaza. Well Steinmetz has partnerships with many leading players in the diamond industry including De Beers and Tiffany's..

DE BEERS

Israel's Steinmetz Diamonds (now Diacore) is one of De Beers largest diamond dealers. De Beers holds 45% of the world's rough diamonds. It sells its diamonds to a few authorised bulk purchasers kept on a special list. The privileged companies that appear on the list are called sightholders and their purchasing quotas are called sights. Steinmetz is one of De Beers main sightholders. Israel's leading diamond exporters Leo Schachter, Niru Diamonds Israel, Yoshfe Diamonds, Rosy Blue, are also all De Beers sightholders. Its De Beers partnership with these companies which provides Israel with the rough diamonds its diamond cutting and polishing industry needs to make it Israel's #1 industry.

Our last diamond protest on Old Bond Street at Christmas (20th Dec 2014)

GRAFF

According to the Israeli Diamond Industry "By sheer quantity, over the course of the last half-century, Graff Diamonds may have dealt with more diamonds and other precious gems than any other diamond dealer in the world". In 1998 Graff acquired a controlling stake in De Beers sight holder South African Diamond Corporation whose Israeli offices facilitates the import of cheap rough diamonds in to Israel and the export of expensive cut & polished diamonds out of Israel, with the profit in-between helping fund the apartheid state and its military.

BACKGROUND

Israel is one of the world’s leading producers of cut & polished diamonds. It imports rough diamonds, doubles their value by cutting & polishing, and exports them globally via hubs in London, Antwerp, HK, NY & Mumbai. In 2011 Israel’s net export of diamonds was worth $10 billion (30% of Israel’s manufacturing export, Israel’s #1 industry). 40-50% of diamonds purchased in the US in dollar terms are from Israel.

Most people don’t realise that diamonds sold in jewellers worldwide are bankrolling Israel’s war machine: “Overall the Israeli diamond industry contributes about $1 billion annually to the Israeli military and security industries … every time somebody buys a diamond that was exported from Israel some of that money ends up in the Israeli military” evidence given by Israeli economist Shir Hever (Russell Tribunal Nov 2010).

In February 2013 over 50 Palestinian civil society organisations, representing a cross-section of Palestinian society, issued an appeal to women and men of conscience and jewellers worldwide to reject diamonds processed in Israel:

LIVE UPDATES DURING PROTEST

We will, inshAllah, be tweeting live (hash tags @DeBeers #BoycottIsraeliDiamonds) from the protest with live photos being uploaded to our twitter and facebook page. So if you can't join us on the day, please help us by sharing the photos as they get uploaded.

"1763 in the Ohio river valley you got Lord Jeffrey Amherst committing to written order an instruction to his subordinate Henry Bouquet, having been defeated by Pontiac Ottawa confederacy in the field. The order essentially says that they have been defeated militarily and is therefore necessary for Amherst forces to request a peace, to sue for peace from Pontiacs people. He instructs Bouquet to convene a parlay with the Indian leadership for that purpose. And as is the custom, as is common courtesy among native populations as was known to the Brits at that time, it would be necessary for those who requested the council to give gifts to those requested to attend. Make those gifts, Amherst says, items taken from a smallpox infirmary in order, I'm going to quote directly now, this isn't a paraphrase: 'in order that we may extirpate this execrable race'. Now key is on this last word, had he said that we might eradicate the opposing combatants, their military capacity, their warriors.. what ever term he wanted to use, it would have been biological warefare. But he didn't say anything about that, he said the 'race'. His intent was to use biological means, to use disease, quite explicitly so, to eradicate an entire population group. And Bouquet was also kind enough to commit to writing in his response the next day, I have done as instructed, dispersing three blankets, two handkerchiefs and sundry other items, hopefully, he says, they will have the desired result. They did.. the lowest estimate of the number of people who died of smallpox as a result of that little gesture of friendship and goodwill is a 100,000!"